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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · rest · staff · swing · sharp · jam · game · track

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. swing — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a match
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. staff — employees
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — to play on
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — to keep track
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rest — a break
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. track — a song
  22. game — wild animals
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com